Buff and Polish : A Practical Guide to Enhance Your Professional Image and Communication Style

First impressions can be dazzling or they can be disastrous, but they last forever. Whether you are walking into a room for a job interview, meeting with a new client, or making a presentation, the image you portray is vital to how others perceive you. Believe it or not, people are sizing you up within the first three to four seconds of an encounter. They're making judgments about you at seven seconds and within thirty seconds they've made at least eleven assumptions about you. "Buff and Polish" is an abundant collection of successful communication applications and theories. As a veteran trainer and corporate communicator, Kathryn Volin has compiled and implemented these techniques for more than twenty years. The knowledge within this definitive handbook can be used (by anyone) to make a dramatic, positive difference in the ability to achieve excellence while interacting with others. Whether you are a college graduate, professional on the rise, entrepreneur, or a seasoned executive, achieving excellence in interpersonal communications will ensure your continued growth. "Buff and Polish" is a must read for virtually everyone in the business world.

From introduction: Did you know that 55 percent of our believability and the way we are perceived is based on our body language, which includes posture, gestures, and eye contact? Did you know that 38 percent of our believability and the way we are perceived is based on our voice, which includes projection, inflection, and rate? Did you know that only 7 percent of our believability and the way we are perceived is based on our message or the actual information we are providing our listeners? Most of us don't realize it, but people are sizing us up within the first three to four seconds of an encounter. They are making judgments about us at seven seconds, and within thirty seconds they have made at least eleven assumptions about us. These assumptions include: social status, economic status, education, occupation, marital status, ancestry, trustworthiness, credibility, and likelihood to succeed.

Today, in a situation where three people with equal qualifications are interviewed for a job, the one with the best communication skills gets the job. The ability to communicate well is ranked the number-one key to success by leaders in business, politics, and the professions. For seven out of ten people who lose their jobs, the reason isn't lack of skill. According to executive recruiters, it's personality conflicts, ego, and poor communication style.

Think about the last time you drove your automobile to the car wash. Do you remember how it looked before it was buffed and polished and how remarkable it looked after the attendants spent time rubbing, scrubbing, buffing and polishing your vehicle? Visualize yourself buffed and polished, conveying a professional image and strong communication style. Buff and Polish is not like most books. It's not a book to read--it's a book to use. The simple yet sound techniques and suggestions presented can make a dramatic change in one's ability to achieve excellence while interacting with others.

This book was originally envisioned as a supplement to the Effective Communications Program offered at Communication Concepts International, Inc. Because retention of information has been proven to be approximately 5 percent, I felt it was crucial to provide training reinforcement to enhance the results of our programs. My goal was to furnish our clients with an overview of the information addressed during the program that could be referred to and easily carried in their briefcase or luggage. The result is an abundant collection of the most successful theories and techniques I have compiled and applied over the past twenty years. This knowledge can be used to enhance anyone's professional image and overall communication style. My basic philosophy is this: We all have the ability to generate positive and effective results in the way we communicate and in the way we are perceived. Sometimes, however, we just don't know how to go about it or where to begin.

Buff and Polish is a "must read" for virtually everyone in the business world. Whether you are a college graduate, a professional on the rise, or a seasoned executive, achieving excellence in interpersonal communications will ensure your continued personal and professional growth and success. Through the application of specific principles and methods, you will find the opportunities to utilize and maximize your potential are limitless.

Some of the subtle but critical success factors we will address throughout this exceptional book include:

--First impressions and their enormous impact: a personal inventory.

--Confident handshakes and introductions: get a good grip on every situation.

--Professional presence: improve your image, style, and how you are perceived.

--Movement and gestures: actions speak louder than words; gesturing for impact.

--Important elements: eye contact, facial expressions, and body language signals.

--The power of your voice: it's not what you say, it's how you say it.

--Effective listening techniques: increasing your rate of success.

--Handling challenging questions, difficult situations, and thinking on your feet.

--Business etiquette: dining, entertaining, and traveling.

--The art of self-promotion: "blowing your horn" without being obnoxious.

--Making great presentations: preparing, delivering, and holding an audience's interest.

If the person you want to be is someone who is trustworthy, friendly, likable, credible, memorable, impressive, and effective from the very first encounter, then you are reading the right book. I don't want you to think you have to become someone you're not; you don't. You simply must learn to be yourself, at your best, all the time. Practice and follow the proven strategies and advice presented in this book to polish your picture of success; you won't be disappointed with the results. Buff and Polish will help you realize that you have the ability within you to become a powerful, believable, and successful communicator.